WHAT CAN I DO? rethink rubbish - Rother District Council

RETHINK AT HOMEThink twice before puttingthings in the bin. A lot of whatwe throw away at home canbe given a new lease of life.Things like washing machinesand shoes can be repaired,furniture and toys can berefurbished or given a lick ofpaint, and vegetable peelingscan be composted.Some items can even be usedfor a completely differentpurpose – how about turningyoghurt pots into slug traps inthe garden?“People say – well, I haven’t got time– but I’m a mother of six, a full-timepost-graduate student and I work tofinance my studies. I’ve got time to sitdown for 5 minutes and cut up envelopes forshopping lists or mend a sock.Andrea, local resident“6

THE GOLDEN RULES AT HOMESTOP JUNK MAILContact the MailingPreference Service tostop junk mail:Tel: 0845 703 4599Mailing Preference Service,FREEPOST 22,London, W1E 7EZREPAIR ITEMSShow off your skills around the house by repairing things like brokenkids’ toys or furniture.BE FOOD SMARTCut down the amount of food that’s wasted by preparing the rightamount for meals and using up leftovers.7

THE GOLDEN RULES AT HOMECOMPOSTINGAbout a third of household rubbishcan be composted. Homecomposting is simple, saves youmoney on compost and fertilisersand is excellent for your garden.REUSE ITEMSReusing prolongs the life of a product.■■reuse excess plastic bags as bin liners.use ice cream tubs or takeaway trays as food containers in the fridge.DIYChanging the look of your home or garden has never been easier ormore popular, but think twice before throwing away your old look:■■recondition instead of buying new – do you need a totallynew kitchen unit or just new doors?reuse broken bricks in other garden or DIY projects.8

RETHINK THE BINSome of the things we throw awaycould be used again by other people.Why not pass on things you no longerwant to friends, or your local charityshop, school or community groups orsell those toys that the children nolonger play with?As for the rubbish that ends up in thebin, around half of it could berecycled. Recycling has never beenso easy, with more facilities becoming available all the time. Youcan either use your kerbside collection scheme, where yourrecycling is collected from your doorstep, take your recycling to thelocal recycling centre (bring banks), or take it to your localHousehold Waste Recycling Site (the ‘tip’).So when you are thinking of getting rid of anything, from your kids’toys to your car battery – think again. Many of the things we throwin the bin still have a value.“Before kerbside wasintroduced we must havebeen getting rid of awheelie bin a week, butnow we’ve definitely halved that.Ian, Uckfield“9

THE GOLDEN RULES OF RUBBISHAVOID THE BINWhy not sell those old CDs or kids’ toys through the Friday-Ad oryour local car boot sale? Or donate clothes that you no longerwear to a charity shop.RECYCLING PAPEREvery year almost a quarter of all rubbish we throw away inEast Sussex and Brighton & Hove is paper. Much of this isrecycled, through existing kerbside collections and bring banks,but thousands of tonnes still end up in landfill sites.Today many types of paper can be recycled. Check out whatyour local kerbside collection scheme and bring banks will take.RECYCLING GLASSGlass can be recycled over and over again without any loss ofquality. Yet about 2/3rds of glass ends up in landfill sites.In some areas you can recycle glass jars and bottles through yourkerbside collection scheme, otherwise use your local recyclingbring bank or Household Waste Recycling Site.Windowpanes, light bulbs and Pyrex dishes should not beput out for recycling because they are made from different typesof glass.10

THE GOLDEN RULES OF RUBBISHRECYCLING TINS AND CANSEvery year 5 billion aluminium cans are used in the UK.Only about 1/3 of them are recycled.Aluminium and steel cans are recycled into new cans, but steelcan also be recycled into paper clips, bicycles, scissors and evennew cars. Before recycling tins and cans, wash them out, to stopthem becoming smelly.RECYCLING PLASTIC BOTTLESPlastic is used for everything from alarm clocks and shoppingbags to drinks bottles and contact lenses. There are over 50different types of plastic, which makes it difficult and expensive torecycle. Help us by washing and squashing your plastic bottlesbefore recycling.RECYCLING GARDEN RUBBISHIf you can't compost your green garden rubbish at home thentake it to your local Household Waste Recycling Site, forcomposting.RECYCLING THE RESTYour local Household Waste Recycling Site will take a large rangeof items for recycling, from engine oil and car batteries tofluorescent tubes.11

BOOK THE RETHINK RUBBISH BUSBus DimensionsLength 8.25m (27ft)Height 3.5m (11ft 6”)Width min 2.5m (8ft 2”)max 5m (16ft 5”)The Bus is available for open days and events. It’s fun, it’s free andit’s fully staffed. Our specialist staff can also offer free talks and runworkshops.The Bus exhibition has been designed by Science Museum Solutions, withcontent by East Sussex County Council.The Bus is packed with ideas, games and special offers to help everyone tocut the amount of rubbish we throw away.To book the Rethink Rubbish Bus or to find out moreplease contact us:✆01273 482323rethinkrubbish@eastsussexcc.gov.ukwwwOr check out our website:www.eastsussexcc.gov.uk/environment/rubbishandrecyclingPrinted on 100 per cent post consumer recycled paper.